


[Love Is But a War] - Chapter 5: Old and New Faces

by eeexohhh



Series: Love Is But a War [6]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Historical, M/M, Rating: M, Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 11:11:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3247505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eeexohhh/pseuds/eeexohhh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luhan fights for freedom; Sehun fights for revenge. But there is good in the bad and bad in the good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	[Love Is But a War] - Chapter 5: Old and New Faces

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thank you for reading! It's been quite a while since I last updated...I apologise in advance for any mistakes as I do not have a beta reader.
> 
> Please visit me on tumblr (eeexohh) or livejournal (eeexoh) as I update those before I update AO3. Once again, thank you so much for reading and please enjoy!

**CHAPTER 5: OLD AND NEW FACES**  
  
Luhan had stared at the ceiling for the whole night. His eyes, despite being heavy with the need to sleep, had remained opened from dusk to dawn.  
  
Throughout the night, Luhan could feel his heart beat loudly against his chest. It was like a lullaby, one that failed to calm the uneasiness he felt.  
  
Luhan tried to contain his trembling body. The silence and his awareness of the body next to him only served as a reminder of the events that had eventuated in the past week. The physical pain he had to endure during the past few days was nothing compared to the mental anguish he felt.  Yes, the humiliation he was subjected to and having everything stripped from him was much worse. At least when he was still living in the slums, he still had his dignity intact. That was ripped to shreds and he was now held captive. Maybe, he could just put his hands around that man's neck...  
  
Luhan felt the man beside him move in his sleep. Luhan quickly laid back down and held his breath until he was certain that Sehun was still asleep.  
  
No, he was much worse than a prisoner; he was a bed warmer for the King.  
  
In one hand, he wanted to bear with everything with gritted teeth and fight back when the opportunity arose. In the other, he wanted to put a noose around his head and jump off a stool. He didn't really want to die though so the last option wasn't much of an option. Luhan was known to be courageous by his people but he would lying if he said he wasn't terrified of Sehun after what had happened.  Sehun was unpredictable and had a bad temper. Luhan knew that if Sehun worked up on his anger, he would be ruthless.  
  
Luhan felt the blankets rustle again. He quickly closed his eyes to feign sleep.  
  
"...Are you cold? You're shaking so much..."  
  
Luhan felt something moving towards him under the blankets. He felt a warm hand on his arm but the hand did not stop where it was. Sehun continued to feel his way across Luhan's body until his whole arm was drapped around Luhan. Almost immediately, Luhan felt as though he was being smothered. He started to feel queasy and his temperature was rising.  
  
Luhan felt the arm tighten its hold around him gently before pulling him into the middle of the bed.  
  
"No wonder you're so cold...you shouldn't sleep so close to the edge of the bed and without blankets..." Luhan could hear the sleepiness in the voice. He opened his eyes slightly and could see no signs of Sehun waking up. In fact, he was very much asleep as he was murmuring.  
  
The arm around him felt as though it was burning his skin. The new sense of intimacy only suffocated Luhan more. He wanted to fling the arm away and run as far away as he could but truth be told: he was scared stiff.  
  
Luhan laid unmoving until rays of sun peeked into the room.

~~~~~

  
A few hours after dawn, Luhan felt Sehun shift in his sleep. Once again, he feigned sleep as he felt the arm around him withdraw from where it was.  
  
The seconds of silence were interrupted by a disappointed sigh.  Luhan felt the other man's body heat as the man crawled over him. He heard the sound of clothes rustling before the door creaked open and was shut just as loudly.  
  
Finally, Luhan could feel his heart calm down as he finally let the weariness in his eyes take over.  


~~~~~

  
If Luhan was being honest, he was not coping very well. As much as he  told himself that it was no big deal that another man had forced themselves onto him, he couldn't shake the feeling of hopelessness and terror.  
   
It was comforting that Xiao Yue was not harmed and was attending to him again. At first, she seemed to find it difficult to speak to him after last night's events. Luhan could sense a bit of apprehension after she found out his background.  
  
However, the girl was somewhat back to her normal self after they sat down and talked about it over breakfast. He told her about the slums, the rebellion and life at Jin Fu. He could feel that she was trying to adjust to the new information and he was okay with that.  
  
The past week went by quickly. Sehun hadn't returned to the bed chambers he was holed up in. Not that Luhan was complaining. The only thing Luhan hated besides being held against his will, was being stuck in the room for most of the day with nothing to do. He had tried to escape once, but found that guards were placed by the door AND the windows.  
  
On the second day of the second week, one of the guards entered the room and ushered him out. Luhan tried to make a run for it but the guards had read his mind and grabbed him by the arms. He struggled against their grips as they forced him to walk. One of the guards looked down over his nose at him.  
  
"You're starting to stink."  
  
He couldn't find any opportunities to escape which was more frustrating than smelling disgusting.  
  
"Don't try running. We've been given permission to execute any Jin Fu trash if you misbehave." Luhan scowled but didn't fight back. He was very conscious of the hand on his arm and felt his body temperature increasing.  
  
He was pushed through a series of corridors and hallways before they reached a big wooden door that had flowers framing it. Two maids pushed open the door and the two guards shoved Luhan roughly inside.  
  
"Take off your clothes and get into the bath."  
  
"Could I get some privacy?" Luhan was feeling uncomfortable with so many eyes on him. He always took a bath alone and didn't want that to change.  
  
The guards ignored him as they stood by the door, watching him so closely that he was feeling even more uncomfortable than before. The two maids approached him with shy looks on their face as they started to unrobe Luhan without his permission.  
  
"...Hey!" Luhan tried to brush away their persistent fingers. "...I can do it myself."  
He moved away from the two maids and started taking off the robe. He could feel his face flush as he noticed the girls gawking at him with identical blushes of their own. Luhan quickly jumped into the bath and could feel himself relaxing almost immediately. He felt a pair of small hands on his hair and smelt a nice floral aroma from above. As the younger maid washed his hair, he tilted his head up to look her in the face and smiled.  
  
"Thanks..." Luhan was slowly getting light headed from the heat of the water but he enjoyed the relaxing feeling that came with it. The girl averted her eyes shyly and a small smiled played on her lips. As he stood up for the other maid to wash his back, he could see that the wound on his stomach was now a scar.  
  
"You girls go into heat for such trash? Why not me instead of that girly looking guy?" One of the guards shouted from across the room, disrupting Luhan's thoughts. He heard the guards snigger before they launched into a tirade of unpleasant comments towards the girls and himself.  
  
"Shut up, don't be so rude to women. If you're wondering why there are no girls who want you, it's because your attitude towards them is poor. Just like your looks." Luhan said as he got out of the bath and was wiping himself down. The two maids let out a little giggle at his remark.  
  
He heard the clink of armour before he felt stiff hand on his shoulder. He was whirled around to face the bigger of the two guards.  
  
"What did you say, you sissy?! Even if there's no girls for me, I know you'd wiggle your ass for a 'poor looker' like me!"  
  
Luhan arched an eyebrow as he was sorting out the robes he was given. "I have higher standards than that."  
  
Luhan heard the other guard laugh at his retort; giving Luhan a sense of satisfaction. However, he could feel the tension grow in the room. From the corner of his eyes, the other guard had went to pester the two poor girls.  
  
Luhan felt the man's fingernails dig deeper into his shoulder. He started to feel sick to the stomach as he was hyperaware of the physical contact. Putting his aversion aside, Luhan placed his hand over the guard's and slid them up the other man's arm. As though frozen, the other man could only glare at Luhan.  
  
The moment of surprise on the guards behalf allowed Luhan threw a punch that connected with the guard's jaw, knocking the man over and into a daze. Without looking back, he bolted out from the bath room with just a towel wrapped around his waist. He had no idea where he was running but all he knew was he had to get out of the palace to survive. He knew he only had minutes before the message of his escape would be transmitted around the whole palace.  


~~~~~

  
Luhan managed to escape the main palace and ran across the large courtyard to the bordering wall. Hearing yelling behind him, he climbed a nearby tree to get onto the wall before jumping down. He could see that he was not too far from what seemed like the main city road and quickly made away from it. By the time he stopped running, the yelling had disappeared and his feet were cut and bleeding. The nausea had also subsided the further away he was from the palace.  
  
Not knowing where he was going, Luhan wandered in the same direction until he reached a little hut on the outskirts of the city.  


~~~~~

  
There were clothes hanging off a washing line on a tree and sensing that there was no one in the area, Luhan approached the tree discretely before pulling off the garments. He hated the thought of having to steal so he tried to rationalise it as borrowing and not stealing.  
  
As he was putting on the robe pants, he heard footsteps. Luhan tried to quicken up the process but ended up stepping on the pant leg he was trying to get his foot into.  
  
"Damn!" Luhan lost his footing and he fell onto his backside. In other circumstances, Luhan would have found his predicament quite comical.  
  
Instead, he heard laughter behind him. Surprised, Luhan tried to get back onto his feet and with the pants on but he slipped again; once again falling onto his rear.  
  
"You're quite clumsy for a thief." The man approached Luhan with an amused expression.  
  
Having nowhere to run, Luhan looked crestfallen. He got back up, dusted his rear and stood there with his head lowered. "I'm sorry. I'll return these to you."  
  
The other man waved his hand. "No no, it's okay. You can keep them, I have plenty more. I saw everything from the start so I know you were desperate. You don't look like the type to steal any way."  
  
Luhan flushed slightly. Indeed, he hated stealing since he was young since he grew up with so much stealing involved: Jin Fu having their land stolen, having to steal food for their hungry stomachs and having to steal clothes to survive winter. "Thank you, I'm really grateful. I am Luhan and your name is, sir?"  
  
The man smiled.  
  
"I am Yixing."

~~~~~

  
As night came, Luhan sat huddled around a small fire.  
  
"Here, Oolong tea." Yixing handed over a big cup to Luhan. Although Yixing looked slightly older than him, his eyes had some kind of wisdom in them that only age and experience could give. The older man had disinfected the cuts on his foot and patched them up with some bandages.  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
Yixing took a seat next to Luhan and smiled. The dimple on his face made him seem younger than before. "I'm nearly 29."  
  
Luhan took a sip and felt his body warm up immediately.  
  
"So...how did you end up near naked and stealing clothes?" There was a hint of humour in Yixing's voice and Luhan couldn't help but laugh embarrassedly.  
  
Luhan made up an excuse: he ran away from home to elope with a girl from Jin Fu but they were caught and she was captured. He escaped and had been wandering for several weeks, eating anything he could find.  
  
"You do know that becoming involved with a person from Jin Fu is punishable by law?"  
  
As though reading Luhan's thoughts, Yixing smiled. "Don't worry. I don't have anything against Jin Fu. It's understandable why they did what they did five years ago. To have their home taken from under them and to be forced to survive everyday is definitely painful. However, their king was quite naive."  
  
Luhan was curious. "Naive? How so?"  
  
"Well,  I heard they have this law where everyone gets everything in equal shares - money, food and all sorts of items. There was probably quite a bit of dissent within the country. It would have been better if their King accepted our proposal to unify both countries. People are different from one another so you can't give them all the same thing and expect them to accept it. It's all about perceived fairness; not just having identical items and such. Say, if a man who does hard labour from morning to dusk but only gets the same amount of food as a man who does nothing all day, they won't see it as equality even though they have the same thing."  
  
Luhan never thought about it that way and felt a seed of doubt plant in his mind. "Our king didn't want to unify with Huo Ting because we'd be pushed back into the slums and we couldn't afford that to happen again."  
  
 Yixing smiled sadly. "He shouldn't impose his opinion and bias onto his people. Sometimes, good intentions aren't enough. In fact, what he did was quite unfortunate for his people; they were denied the opportunity to have a higher standard of living."  
  
Yixing stared into the fire intently before he spoke again. "When I was younger, my little sister wanted to learn how to swim. I didn't let her because I thought it was too dangerous for her to go with the older kids to a far away river. Also, our village wasn't near any deep water that would require us to swim. A year later, there was a mass flood near our home. The water currents weren't strong when it hit our village so my neighbours and myself could swim to our safety. That was when my sister went missing. Her body wasn't found until a few days after the flood subsided; she had drowned."  
  
Luhan was taken aback by the other man's openness.  
  
"It's quite ironic, isn't it? I thought I was keeping her safe from the possibility of drowning during lessons but she ended up drowning anyway. Sometimes we need to put aside our feelings and do something we don't agree with in order to achieve something better."  
  
"Huo Ting had many reforms since the previous king passed away. It has been more than a month since King Sehun succeeded the throne. Unlike his father, King Sehun is very responsible for his age and cares about his country. Of course, you can't satisfy everyone but at least the majority is. There have been a few times when King Sehun has passed on law reforms that the majority of people disagreed with but have benefited the country since its implementation. He may seem harsh and strict but King Sehun is a thousand times better as a ruler than his father even though he has only be crowned for such a short time; he knows when to rule with a stern hand and when to loosen his grip. If Jin Fu had accepted the stand-in king's proposal to unify with Huo Ting, Jin Fu would have been better off. Even more so now that King Sehun is in power."  
  
Luhan thought about Yixing's words carefully.  
  
"King Sehun is very serious when he is working on national affairs. He wouldn't do anything unnecessary to harm his people but though he may be of age, he is still a child. He has his moments where he throws tantrums and can be quite ruthless. I don't condemn his ruthlessness but people need to understand that King Sehun was still a young boy when he lost his father and was forced to take responsibility of a whole nation. War is never sympathetic; it is only ever ruthless."  
  
As though woken from his trance, Yixing cleared his throat and got up from his seat. "I think I've said too much. Maybe it's time to call it a day."  
  
Although Luhan remained quiet through Yixing's little speech, he had a hunch that the man was no ordinary person. "Who are you, really? You sound very educated and you sound like you know him...personally."  
  
Luhan held eye contact with the other man and could see that Yixing was analysing him to see what he should say next.  
  
"And you? You're not from Huo Ting are you?" Yixing smiled. "I could tell from the moment I met you. You asked for my name."  
  
Luhan became alert at the man's words. Despite Yixing's friendly nature, he was very perceptive.  
  
"I am more commonly known as Minister Zhang. I was the deceased king's advisor."  
  
At this revelation, Luhan scrambled to his feet and grabbed a piece of unused firewood.  
  
"You don't have to worry. I'm not longer associated with the royal palace nor do I care about the politics going on between countries. I won't harm you, even if you're an enemy of the state."  
  
The two men stood there in silence, never breaking their eye contact.  
  
After a few minutes, Luhan dropped the firewood. It was a gamble but he didn't sense any malice from Yixing. Especially since Yixing figured through his lies from the moment they met yet he did not do anything to harm him.  
  
When Yixing found it safe, he approached Luhan and pulled him towards the hut. "It's getting late, you should rest."  
  
Luhan flinched at the touch, startling Yixing with his reaction.  
  
"Sorry." Luhan suddenly realised how tired and achy his body was.  
  
Yixing smiled sympathetically and ushered him into the hut and onto a laid out futon.  


~~~~~

  
 Luhan felt someone shake him roughly.  
  
"Someone is coming, you need to hide quickly!" Yixing grabbed Luhan and pulled him out of the bed and pushed him through the backdoor.  
  
Luhan stumbled as the cold air hit his face. Luhan could barely open his eyes in his tired state but could make out that it was just before dawn. He quickly wobbled his way to some baskets by the window and hid behind them.  
  
Luhan could hear fierce whisperings inside but couldn't make out what was being said. He was about to doze off again when the whispers turned into yelling.  
  
"...years ago and I have no intention...ever again! Get out!"  
  
Not understanding what was going, he waited sleepily until he heard the back door open.  
  
"Sorry for waking you up so suddenly."  
  
Yixing looked frustrated and somewhat upset. "Don't worry too much about it. Just some old acquaintances. Once again, I am so sorry for waking you so abruptly."  
  
Feeling that Yixing did not want the conversation to continue, Luhan dropped the subject. They both went back inside to get some more sleep.  
When morning came, Luhan thanked the man for his hospitality and bid farewell. Yixing seemed to have many burdens that he hid inside his heart and Luhan didn't want to add to them; he was a fugitive after all.

~~~~~

  
Although Luhan was reluctant to return to the city, it was his only option. Yixing had pointed him towards the eastern border and when he got there, he found that the gates were heavily guarded. He was not surprised, after all, these were the same gates that had divided Jin Fu and Huo Ting. Only this time, the gates were open since Jin Fu was now technically part of Huo Ting.  
  
Since he escaped the palace, Luhan noticed there were no wanted notices of him. He found this quite strange but counted it as a blessing. He was pretty much trapped in a city where he was an enemy. Even though his priority was getting Xiumin out of the palace and retake Jin Fu land, he didn't know where to begin. He was most certainly afraid of being caught and taken back to that devil Oh Sehun.  
  
Another week had passed and with each passing day, the food supplies given to him by Yixing was depleting to nothing. He was starting to look dirty; his clothes coated with dirt. With a sigh, Luhan decided wander around the city to . Since the city was surprisingly fast paced and busy, no one really took notice of each other and so he was able to wander around, with his head down, in the evening. The city was definitely more prosperous and advanced than Jin Fu. Houses here were made out of stone where as those at Jin Fu were made of wood.  
  
As Luhan snuck glances and noted the differences between the two countries, he felt a hand tap him on the shoulders. Though shocked at the touch, Luhan remained composed as he tried to walk it off but the hand continued to tap him on the shoulders. The thought of someone touching him was repulsive enough that Luhan slapped away the hand harshly.  
  
"Your Majesty..."  
  
Around them, people were starting to take notice of them because of the commotion. "You... "  
  
Luhan recognised the teen as the son of Mrs. Liu; the woman who owned the popular inn near the marketplace in Jin Fu. The boy nodded quickly before pulling Luhan aside into a quiet alleyway. After a series of turns into seemingly random lanes, they finally came to a stop. Luhan quickly pushed the boy's hand away; the nausea not going away. Seeing that there was no one else around, the boy began lowering himself onto his knees.  
  
"Ah, you don't have to!" Luhan lifted the boy up. Luhan noticed he felt slightly better when it was he who initiates contact.  
  
"Your Majesty, I thought you were dead...please forgive me for saying this but Your Majesty should not be wandering around in public."  
  
Luhan nodded. "I know. More importantly, are you okay? What has happened to you and your family?  
  
"Oh. Well, my whole family and I are doing fine!" The boy grinned. "It's actually not as bad as it first seemed. Since we owned an inn before, they made us work for a rich businessman who owns several inns in the city. He treats us well; he gives us three meals a day and pays us for our work. I just do odd jobs in one of the smaller inns but he even lets mother manage one of the inns on his behalf! He said she was the more skilful than any of his other managers! Most of my friends and their families are also working for really kind people! Though it's a shame we couldn't keep our inn back at the marketplace..."  
  
Hearing the enthusiasm in his voice, Luhan couldn't help chuckle even though he found it hard to believe. "You seem happy."  
  
As though sensing a bit of sadness in Luhan's voice, the boy stopped grinning.  
  
"Your Majesty, it's okay."  
  
Luhan arched an eyebrow, slightly confused as to what the boy was talking about.  
  
"You've done a lot for us in the past five years and we'll never forget that. You don't have to carry the burden of our people anymore. I know the same can't be said for some people, but even though only a short time has passed, I honestly believe that this decent lifestyle will continue into the future and I'm content with that. We have food on our plates, we have a bed to sleep in, the people are kind and we're free to do whatever outside of work. Although the culture is somewhat different to ours, it's quite easy to adjust to. Huo Ting doesn't seem so bad anymore."  
  
"Jin Fu was a country of freedom but there was one person who was bound by a sense of obligation to his people..." The boy gave Luhan a sympathetic smile; his eyes full of admiration and pride. "It's okay for you to live for yourself."  
  
A rush of emotion that was hidden deep inside felt like it was about to burst out of him. His throat was dry and his eyes started to feel wet. Luhan didn't say anything reply, knowing that if he did, tears would come out.  
  
The boy stood awkwardly, not knowing if he had stepped on a landmine.  
  
When Luhan was confident that he could contain his emotions, he whispered his thanks to the boy. The boy grinned and bowed his head out of habit. Without a word, they retraced their steps and eventually reached the street where they had bumped into each other.  
  
"I have to go now, Your Majesty. I want to help but I can't do anything...they'll eventually find out if we hid you at the inn we're working at. If you need food and water, come to building with the red flower on the door. It's down there..." The boy pointed down the street. "...near the central and it's the inn where we work at. My family and I are more than willing to help you where we can."  
  
The boy bowed slightly. "Goodbye Your Majesty. Thank you for everything up until now and I will pray for your happiness." The boy grinned before disappearing into the stream of people.  
  
Luhan was left alone in the quiet street. Although Luhan was unsure of what to do in the future, he felt that this chance meeting gave him a bit of clarity.  
  
He felt a little lighter. He no longer felt like he was holding his breath but he wasn't quite sure if he felt completely free from his sense of duty to his people.  
  
Maybe it was for the best if Jin Fu assimilated with the country, just like how Yixing said it would be. Maybe Huo Ting wasn't really the place he thought it was and maybe the unification of countries was a good thing.  
  
He definitely needed time to think things through. It would be difficult to change years of beliefs in a few minutes...  
  
He was, however, determined to bail Xiumin out of the palace.


End file.
